New Depths. A Forward Motion person, Erik, recently set up his web cam. I've taken to opening it in a little window while I'm on the Internet. It's pretty amusing when we're all in chat together since Erik has a really expressive face. But, in reality, it's just another way to procrastinate when I should be writing (or re-writing). [grin] Erik also sky-dives, I've always wanted to go sky-diving but always said I wouldn't until I actually knew someone who had gone and enjoyed it...guess I don't have an excuse any longer. Maybe this summer? That could be fun.

Dares. I've signed up for the Jan-Feb Dares over at Forward Motion. I realized how much having a little push helps me to keep my goals. So, I've committed to rewriting my novel (...And You're The Only One Who Knows), writing eight new chapters of at least 1000 words each (Four More Exits), and writing 2000 words per day (that's to be averaged at the end of the two months, and isn't that big of a deal since all the rewriting I do on ...And You're The Only One Who Knows counts).

Rewrites. I spent Christmas at my parents' house. They have a laser printer, so they graciously allowed me to print out ...And You're The Only One Who Knows. I loved having the weight of all that paper in my hands, such a thrill. I edited the first couple of pages, but I need to set up a schedule. I plan on having it completely overhauled by the end of January and then send it out for Opal to critique.

Distractions. Life has decided to intrude on my lovely little writing schedule. Not that I mind about the manner in which it has decided to intrude, but it looks like I will be switching to knocking out my 1k in the first part of the day rather than in the latter half. I've had entirely too many late nights recently...

Concentration. I'm trying to work on the hospital scene from ...And You're The Only One Who Knows tonight. But I'm finding it incredibly hard to concentrate. I really shouldn't be surprised. I'm sick and that always screws me up. I'm also feeling scattered for other reasons. I don't think I'm going to be able to get anything else done tonight...

Resolution Take Two. Yeah, I didn't write that 1000 words yesterday. I consider the 200 I did write an accomplishment since I left the house before 9am and didn't get home until after midnight. So, I started again today. And I've already written my 1000 words (thank you very much!).

Productivity. I also brainstormed on a scene that's been nagging me from ...And You're The Only One Who Knows. I mean, the whole novel is crying out for revision, but I've been thinking about this scene since I wrote it. It's in the hospital where Reese and Tangier (and Paul and Jedediah) have to go visit their dying (abusive) mother. I really rushed through the scene and since it plays a key part in the novel as a whole and it has such great potential (the mother is evil!), I really needed to get some ideas to draw it out. The folks over at Forward Motion helped a lot with some ideas and some absolutely amazing snippets of dialogue the mother could say ("Thank God you can't have kids. I mean, what child could ever love you?"--> Tangier; and some others that are much meaner...). It was great. I've got a whole pageful of ideas I can use to expand the scene, really develop the mother's character (since this is the only time she is directly in the novel) and show the effect that she still has over her daughters. I'm actually cringing at how awful she is to them and that's a good thing. ;-)

Resolutions. I know it's not January, but I made my first resolution and thought I'd share it. I've decided that I need to build a habit of writing daily (I cranked out those 50k last month, even though I wasn't always consistent to sit down and type every day). So, with that thought, I've decided on a low daily goal. 1,000 words a day. Easy. But since it's so little, I can crank it out every single day without fail. And I will, starting today.

Plotting, Part Two. After stumbling and limping my way through thinking my way through my idea for Four More Exits, I hit gold this morning and have managed to work my way through about three-quarters of it. I'm stalled again now, but I'm going to start working with what I have now. In other news, found out that one of the bartenders of the restaurant I work in is a creative writing major...

Plotting. I'm trying my hand at actually kind of knowing what's going to happen in my novel before I start writing. I've found some good resources on outlining/plotting at Forward Motion, and so I'm attempting to work from those. I might need to ask one of the writers who's experienced at plotting like that to give me a hand. I'm just not sure if I'm going about it in the right way. Oh well [[sighs]] maybe I'll end up figuring out a way to plot that absolutely works for me....

New Project. I started something new yesterday called "Four More Exits" (yes-I ripped off song lyrics for my title again: this time John Mayer's Why Georgia?). I've had a couple of ideas knocking around in my head but it really gelled when I overheard a conversation on the bus yesterday. Anyway, I guess we'll see where it goes. It will at least keep me occupied until it's time to start editing "...And You're The Only One Who Knows" (which still might end up with the title "Reese's Pieces" because I think it's funny)

Feedback. This is from Opal, one of the authors I met through NaNoWriMo (she got to read my novel because I got to read hers): "...it was pretty much a constant read for a day. I was reluctant to put it down, which is definitely a good sign. The characters were interesting and engaging. I'd be very proud of this as a thirty day draft. Way to go!" She also volunteered her services as an indepth critic when I'm done with my editing. :-)